Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

The Imperial Palace had been completely reduced to ruins by the wide-area attacks of the Dharma Guardian Lion and the Fire Dragon True Person, losing its original form entirely. Thus, the Incarnation Faction and literati experts waiting outside the palace could only gaze in dismay at the melted wreckage scattered everywhere. The site where the Emperor once resided had become a flat wasteland, giving a sense of the destruction's scale. What was miraculous was that despite this cataclysmic battle, nowhere outside the palace suffered any damage.

A simple gathering was arranged with the key figures involved in this incident, including Han Baekyeong and Deng Guo.

Han Baekyeong said to Deng Guo.

"Deng Guo. It would be best to move immediately to me. We have a goal to enthrone the new Emperor. If we delay, warlords and generals across the Central Plains will rise in rebellion."

"That was my plan even without you saying it."

Deng Guo glanced at me with slightly fearful eyes before speaking.

"But the Dragon Incarnate... Is it really true?"

At those words, Han Baekyeong let out a sigh and replied curtly.

"Well, no, but..."

"You must grant all the privileges promised to our Han Clan afterward. Keep your promise to me."

"Of course."

Deng Guo said little more and prepared to lead the literati into action. It seemed that after witnessing that surreal power, he had judged this was beyond his involvement. Once only Han Baekyeong and us remained, she fell silent for a moment, took a sip of tea, and then spoke.

"Dragon Incarnate. What is your purpose?"

Her gaze was fixed on me. Though she was speaking politely and respectfully, I didn't miss the icy wariness lurking beneath her words like frost on a winter branch. I feigned ignorance and replied.

"I wonder what the Dharma Guardian Lion means. What purpose would I have?"

"The power of the Fire Dragon True Person possessing you is an ultimate force unmatched in the human world. If you possess such power yet disguised yourself as the Sword Demon's subordinate to ally with me, you must surely have an objective. That's what I want to know."

Her calm tone made it all the more terrifying. I could tell she was suppressing her emotions to the utmost, acting like a cunning old fox. As I felt awkward, the Sword Demon beside me clasped his hands in respect and addressed Han Baekyeong.

"There are circumstances. It won't harm the White Lotus Church or the Incarnation Faction, so please understand."

"Hmph... Sword Demon. How can you guarantee that?"

Han Baekyeong continued with a cold smile.

"If the Dragon Incarnate suddenly takes a whim and decides to attack our White Lotus Church, can you take responsibility?"

"......"

This was bad. Though her words were polite, her wariness toward us had spiked several times higher than before. If things continued like this, we risked turning not just the Han Clan but the entire Incarnation Faction and White Lotus Church against us in the shadows. It was clearly the worst possible outcome imaginable. After a moment's thought, the Sword Demon spoke firmly.

"If the Dragon Incarnate wished to unify the jianghu or display his might, would he have gone through such a troublesome method? I had no reason to bend to the Incarnation Faction for purpose, and he could have simply crushed the palace and minor factions to expand the Shadowless Alliance. Consider that the Dragon Incarnate revealed his true power this time not by design, but for the sake of justice..."

"Justice?"

Han Baekyeong's face twisted slightly. It was bewilderment from hearing something utterly unexpected. Then Mangyang, standing nearby, interjected.

"If the Fire Dragon True Person hadn't stepped in to eliminate that monster, the two Dharma Guardian Lions would have abandoned Luoyang. The monster would have devoured the humans of Luoyang, grown rapidly, and ultimately become a Demon King beyond human capacity to handle. At that point, could you invoke tales of the White Lotus Church, Incarnation Faction, or Shadowless Alliance? Millions of lives were at stake."

"Urgh..."

"If the White Lotus Church couldn't contain that hellish disaster, the blame would have fallen squarely on the Church Lord."

After Mangyang subtly applied pressure, the Sword Demon spoke with conviction.

"Dharma Guardian Lion Han Baekyeong! Are we not martial artists of the jianghu, pursuing the martial way yet harboring chivalry in our hearts?"

"......!!"

"We have risen for the grand chivalry to oppose the demonic path."

Chivalry!

At those words, Han Baekyeong's face filled with deep anguish. She pondered for a long while before suddenly bowing her head to me.

"My thinking was shortsighted. Dragon Incarnate, forgive my rudeness."

"Uh, y-yes, of course."

I accepted her apology in a fluster. Her expression, free of prior suspicion, softened somewhat as she continued.

"Now, not only Luoyang's martial world but Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, and Shandong will fall under our Incarnation Faction's direct control. Once we suppress the Nine Great Sects and Eight Schools through hegemony, the White Lotus Church will dominate the entire martial world within three years. And I intend to support you and your comrades, Dragon Incarnate, as much as possible."

She spoke calmly of an enormous matter. The White Lotus Church Lord hadn't even intervened personally, yet with just the Dharma Guardian Lion and affiliated factions, they would unify the martial world! Han Baekyeong continued her declaration of this unprecedented feat in history.

"However, that is precisely why I wish to know. Just how formidable an enemy you intend to fight... And how you obtained the Dragon's power."

Mangyang and the Sword Demon seemed ready to speak on my behalf again, but I raised a hand to stop them. Somehow, my instinct told me this was the moment for me to voice my own thoughts, not have my comrades speak for me. I looked at Han Baekyeong with calm eyes and said:

"I trust Lady Han Baekyeong's sense of chivalry. But before that, you are the Incarnation Faction's priestess, absolutely loyal to the White Lotus Church, upholding the White Lotus doctrines as the Dharma Guardian Lion. Naturally, everything you see and hear will be reported to the Church Lord as well, won't it?"

"......"

"Even if I can trust Lady Han Baekyeong, I cannot yet trust the White Lotus Church Lord. So please understand why I cannot share deeper matters."

Han Baekyeong smiled faintly.

"To voice distrust of the Church Lord before the Dharma Guardian Lion... You truly are remarkable."

She spoke half in mockery, but it was the truth. Had she not witnessed the Fire Dragon True Person's divine presence and recognized me as the Dragon Incarnate, she would have flown into a rage and tried to kill us three the moment I said that. I worried I'd spoken out of turn, but Han Baekyeong lightly continued.

"But it's understandable. Distrust of the Church Lord..."

After pondering something deeply, Han Baekyeong suddenly sent me a transmission.

[Come alone to the Han Clan in a fortnight. Do not tell your comrades.]

What?

[I will use this to judge if I can trust you.]

"......"

I was flustered but kept my expression neutral. By telling me not to inform my comrades, she meant to avoid them reading my face and pressing me later. As I gazed at her composedly, Han Baekyeong said:

"... Then I shall take my leave. Our Incarnation Faction must reorganize Luoyang's martial world and assist with security, so we have much to do."

"Take care."

Han Baekyeong soon vanished somewhere. I glanced at Mangyang and the Sword Demon; they showed no sign of noticing her secret transmission. Mangyang spoke.

"Sword Demon Elder, please remain active with the Incarnation Faction. We will handle wrapping up this incident separately."

"So be it. I'll devote my remaining training period to honing my dual-wield swordsmanship as much as possible."

"We leave it to you."

The Sword Demon followed after Han Baekyeong. Alone with me, Mangyang said:

"Baek Woong. Han Baekyeong still doesn't fully trust us."

"Urgh..."

"No word from the Fire Dragon True Person?"

"Strangely, nothing since that intense battle..."

Mangyang pondered before saying:

"Baek Woong. Try drawing the Fire Dragon Divine Sword and Fire Essence again and holding them simultaneously."

I did as Mangyang instructed. The refreshing sensation from before was gone; instead, the hilt felt hot as usual, with heat coursing through my shoulders as the medium. Back to normal. I described the current state to Mangyang, who nodded knowingly.

"It seems the Fire Dragon Divine Sword hasn't fully recovered yet."

"What do you mean?"

"The divine presence you showed earlier was possible only by borrowing the Fire Essence's power. The damage from centuries sealed and torn apart, nearly losing its spirit's ego, won't heal so easily... The sword likely awakened by absorbing the Fire Essence's power, expended it, and reverted to dormancy."

"Huh... You mean..."

I said in disbelief.

"...We have to restore it again?"

"Exactly."

Mangyang confirmed firmly.

"However, the Fire Dragon Divine Sword will recover faster than before. With its ego restored and original form rebuilt, it should be several times quicker. Repeating absorption and expenditure like this will eventually allow full recovery without the Fire Essence's aid. The perfect revival of the Fire Dragon Divine Sword."

"Hmm."

"More than that, this Fire Essence is truly remarkable."

Mangyang looked at the Fire Essence with admiring eyes.

"It imparts such immense heat and divine energy to the Fire Dragon Divine Sword without any detriment to itself. Truly boundless power surpassing even the Great Immortal... A relic befitting the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors."

"Oh, right!"

I mentioned something I'd forgotten to Mangyang.

"Now that Luoyang's settled, when should we unseal the Water Essence?"

Using Fire and Water Essences together would grant even greater power at once. With Luoyang subdued, it was time to unseal the Water Essence. Mangyang looked somewhat troubled and replied:

"In my view, at this point, it's better to gather more of the remaining unsealed Seven Essences rather than unsealing the Water Essence."

"Why?"

"We could force the Water Essence's release, but that would mean three of the Seven Essences unsealed in the human world. Considering the Earth Essence's Eight Trigrams Chart in Dark Heaven Village is likely already unsealed, it would be like the Fire Essence's seal breaking again as before... Naturally, with the balance of heaven and earth disrupted, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, including Nüwa, would vigilantly watch the human world. Even if we gather the rest, unsealing them would become impossible."

"Hmm, that's the problem..."

The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors did not want war with the [Ancient Rulers]. In my 19th regression, Emperor Zhuanxu had clashed with Yin Xi's sleeper, but only because the opponent provoked first with justification. They would surely reject any Seven Essences' release that could spark another war of divinities.

"In truth, I haven't solved this issue yet. Because we must provide the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors with 'justification' to gather and unseal all Seven Essences and 'convince' them."

Mangyang sighed.

"It could be called the world's most difficult problem. Convincing the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors who ruled the Central Plains' ancient era about the Seven Essences' justification... Haha."

"......"

"You're casually handing the greatest challenge on earth to your strategist."

Mangyang chided me half-jokingly. As I organized his words in my mind, I replied.

"So gathering the remaining unsealed Seven Essences in their current state is the best for now?"

"For the time being, yes. While training to enhance your own martial prowess, you must find Cheonghil within the remaining ten years, so you'll be busier than ever."

Answering my question, Mangyang said.

"Let's head to Zhangling Valley first. We can check on the Zhuge priest's condition, and once his demonic tome interpretation finishes, discuss together—that's best for now."

"Understood."

I went to Zhangling Valley with Mangyang.

"The Valley Lord remains in seclusion and has not emerged."

Dark energy still emanated from the room where the Zhuge priest resided. He was still 'interpreting' the Demonic Tome Nameless Sacrifice Scripture. Mangyang suggested to me.

"Then let's visit Zhuge Bu."

We headed to where Zhuge Bu was confined. The maidservant had indeed fed him well; his haggard complexion had improved somewhat. Regaining a bit of vitality, Zhuge Bu glared at Mangyang with hostile eyes upon seeing him.

"Keke... So you were in cahoots with my uncle, Hyun-ah."

"Think what you like. Unless you want to go back to the Thirty-Nine Strikes and starve."

Flinch.

Zhuge Bu recoiled greatly at Mangyang's threat. Having endured hellish hunger, he couldn't ignore it. Stammering in fluster, Zhuge Bu said.

"F-for a descendant of the prestigious Zhuge family to threaten with food... You've become quite vulgar."

Mangyang replied curtly.

"You've always treated me as a talentless vulgar fool, haven't you? If you want proper meals, answer your younger brother's questions straight."

"What? What questions..."

"What I want to know is this. What circumstances led Father to ally with the demonic path and alchemists?"

"......"

"You're a self-centered man interested only in yourself, so I understand your demonic collaboration, but Father wasn't like that, so I'm curious."

Zhuge Bu stared at Mangyang with a loss for words before saying.

"Hey, Hyun-ah."

"What?"

"I'm too hungry. Bring me some chicken legs, and I'll talk."

"Fine."

I'd been listening and told the nearby maidservant.

"Prepare a plate of chicken legs."

"No, Baek Woong."

"Hm? Mangyang, what is it? One plate is enough for that guy..."

Mangyang said with resolute eyes.

"I'll eat too, so make two plates."

Come to think of it, Mangyang had abstained from meat and eaten lightly during his mountain spell training. Of course he'd crave meat.

"...Got it."

Soon after, the maidservant brought the chicken leg dish. I hand-fed it to Zhuge Bu.

Nom nom...

Crunch...

The two Zhuge brothers glared at each other silently, chewing and savoring the chicken legs, their munching echoing in the chamber. The maidservant and I swallowed hard, tempted by how delicious it looked. I should have ordered three plates, including mine.

"Ah, chicken looks so good..."

After finishing the fragrant chicken legs, Zhuge Bu spoke.

"Father was once furious with the Celestial Realm. That anger led to a plan to save humanity without relying on celestial aid."

"Zhuge Yuryong, you mean?"

"Yes. He harbored resentment toward the Celestial Realm even from when you were an ignorant child, he said."

Anger.

For some reason, I felt Zhuge Yuryong and the Zhuge priest shared similar emotions. The Zhuge priest had revealed fury and disgust toward the Celestial Realm's hypocrisy at the end of my 19th regression.

"I don't understand. Father was the head of the prestigious Zhuge family, a grand spell master, loyal to the Imperial Palace—why rage at the Celestial Realm?"

"......"

After hesitating, Zhuge Bu said.

"The Celestial Realm's apocalyptic salvation didn't align with Father's ideals, and moreover, Mother was directly sacrificed at the Celestial Realm's hands."

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